Cochran has only played in one Open Championship in his 20-plus years on the PGA Tour, and while the composite course at Walton Heath is not a links venue, it is completely different from any course in the U.S.

So staring Sunday tied for the lead with David Frost and Calcavecchia, Cochran decided to emulate the game of another pursuer, Watson.

(Photo by Phil Inglis/Getty Images)

“I played with him only a few times,,” Cochran said. “But Tom gets his shot, he hits it, goes after it and he plays at a good pace. He tries to pick the right shot, and then goes right after it. Basically today, I kind of had that attitude that I really didn’t care whether I won or lost, but I was confident in my game that if I played well, that I would fare well.”